Textual Slip
by AnimeDomo
Summary: Previously titled 'D-mn Technology'; wrong numbers are texted and chaos ensues. Sebastian/Ciel, various. High school AU. Revised and reuploaded.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's note: This story had been previously removed from the site due to reasons concerning my rating, I believe. And, being the idiot I am, had no back-ups for it. :I It's taken a while, rewriting everything from scratch, but it's getting there. So here's chapter one, revised and reuploaded! Thank you so much for everyone who's encouraged me to keep this story alive, and special thanks to inuyasha1sasuke and Edmy for keeping me on track!**

**Reviews would be lovely!  
**

**Warnings: swearing and smoking.**

* * *

Sebastian Michealis, if prodded for an answer, would proclaim his hatred for winter without any shame. He detested the low temperatures -slush and snow were like crucifixes for him- and he more often than not holed himself up next to the oven in their kitchen with a warm mug once the leaves began to drop. While his legion of acquaintances -he refused to admit those idiots as his legitimate friends- were gallivanting through their yards in scarves and mittens and throwing misshapen balls of snow at each other he much preferred a blanket and Night.

Night, the ever zealous black kitten of the Michealis household, loved her Master for all her worth and acted more as a guard and alarm clock than anything. "Night," Sebastian muttered grumpily into the black fur preventing his breathing, "please, get the hell off." He gently pushed the cat from where she had curled up to rest on his face to breathe before sitting up and scowling. His room was freezing, his comforter was half on the floor, and he was missing a fucking sock.

He hadn't even been legitimately awake for more than a few moments and he was already pissed off at the world. Tuesdays were also on his list of hated things.

His rubbed his eyes in a poor attempt to wake himself before glancing at his clock and forcing himself out of bed. Hopping on one foot, he maneuvered across the room to retrieve a fresh pair of socks out of his dresser, muttering all the while about 'the fucking weather'.

He pulled on a dark sweater and jeans and resolved to purchase some warmer layers soon. Being December, the weather was obviously only going to worsen.

Sebastian began to leave the room to gather his books from the living room before he paused mid-stride and backtracked to pick up his phone off the charger. He turned the sleek device on to double-check his battery life and was surprised to find a text message notice. Assuming it to be something stupid from Bardroy or Finnian- or perhaps even another humorous threat from Claude- he opened the message as he strode down the wooden steps to the first floor as quietly as he could to not wake his mother.

_3:47 am_

_Leave my cousin alone, you freak._

The sender only came up as a string of numbers with his area code, and Sebastian knew it was no one he was aware of. He associated with very few people, and texted even less, and the number was none he recognized. He typed out a quick message, informing the other that they had the wrong number before one-strapping his bag over his left shoulder and grabbing his keys.

As he was edging down the icy front steps of his house, he felt his cell phone vibrate twice inside his jean pocket. He touched his fingertips to it to make sure he didn't imagine the feeling before pulling his phone out and unlocking the front screen. Another text.

_6:52am_

_Funny. You're such an ass._

Excuse me, _I'm_ the ass? He thought with a huff. Whoever this was, they were obviously daft and thought someone was playing a prank on them. As he let the defrosters in his car melt away the thin sheet of ice on his windows, he tapped out a more rude version of his previous text. The bright green 'successfully sent' notification popped up in the upper left corner of his screen and he tossed the horrid device into his glove compartment without another thought. He never was a big tech-geek.

Today sounded like a good day for a Timm coffee before school.

* * *

Another thing about Sebastian Michealis was he was an intimidating fuck, well-known throughout the small town high school, and he was well aware of the presence he held. Was thankful for it, really. He was commonly seen striding along between classes without any companion, other than occasionally Bardroy from his year. He and Finnian were the only ones who really had the balls enough to approach him, but that could possibly stem from their childhood bond. You just don't forget your first best friends.

"Dude, wait up!" Bardroy rushed down the foreign language hallway, hurrying to catch up to Sebastian and his ridiculous stride as he wrestled his books into his messenger bag. The final bell of the day had just rung, and it was almost creepy to watch the hundreds of high school students spill from their respective classrooms simultaneously.

Sebastian stopped and watched Bardroy huff his way up next to him, and they fell into step as they exited the building. They both threw up a hand at the afternoon glare. Bard was still softly huffing under his breath next to him. "You know, maybe if you didn't smoke so much, you wouldn't be so out of breath just speed-walking down the hallway. Those things are going to kill you."

"My grandfather lived to be eighty-two."

"Smoking?"

"Minding his own damn business." The two exchanged knowing grins. Banter was a requirement for their friendship. Without smart-ass remarks and quips, they wouldn't know what to do with themselves.

"Only three in the afternoon and already so scathing," Sebastian touched the back of his left hand to his forehead in feigned dramatics. "Whatever are we to do with you, Bardroy?"

"You could start by giving me a ride home."

Sebastian gave the scruffy blonde a long side glance, pretending to weigh the options of telling him to walk his ass home and allowing him a free ride. After the initial moment of hesitation, he turned and lead his friend towards the far side of the student lot. Of course he was going to give Bardroy a lift home. How could he not? He did, however, relish in that silent look of panic he caught in his best friend's eyes for the few split seconds he took to deliberate. Besides, perhaps it'd be nice to have some company, he told himself. It took a lot for Sebastian Michaelis to admit he was lonely, but once he allowed the idea to take root the ache for companionship was agonizing.

"Why didn't you drive this morning?" Sebastian unlocked the passenger side first and Bardroy gratefully fell into the cushioned seat. "Car's in the shop and dad took the truck to work. I tried to call you to ask for a ride, but you didn't answer."

"Oh." At Bard's explanation Sebastian suddenly remembered having thrown his phone into the glove compartment, forgotten. He probably would have left it in there for another two or three days if he hadn't of reminded him. The broader male withdrew a pack of cigarettes from the bag at his feet and lit up as he watched Sebastian pull his phone out of the compartment in front of him and turn it on. "Did you leave it in there all holiday weekend or what?"

"No," Sebastian replied gruffly. Bard and Finnian always poked fun at Sebastian's forgetfulness when it came to his cellphone. Once, when Sebastian was still on a limited data plan, he had left it at Bard's house after working on a project for science class. Being the dick of a best friend he was, Bard downloaded a looping video of the internet famous Nyan Cat- he couldn't use his phone for a month. "That'll teach you to leave your shit at my place," Bard had grinned. Fin had found it as equally as humorous, but at least had the decency to hide his mirth.

Sebastian tinkered with his phone for a few moments before groaning in complete exasperation. Bard watched him questioningly, and the darker-haired boy handed over the phone without comment.

_11:22am_

_Thanks for landing me in detention you wanker! What the bloody hell compelled you to make the experiment explode!? Learn to follow directions next time you ass!_

"Who is this? He's great! I didn't know anyone had the balls to call you a 'wanker'."

"Stop enjoying this," Sebastian ground out. "And I have no clue who it is. They texted me this morning, and I told them twice they have the wrong number."

"Hardheaded like you, eh?" Sebastian leaned his head against the window, reveling in the heat of the car. It was a nice foil for his on-coming headache. The parking lot had mostly cleared out by now except for a group of younger class-men chatting on the curb next to the school and a couple teachers coming and going through the side entrance to the main building. The school grounds were peaceful for once, and he found himself relaxing- content.

"Got it."

Sebastian opened his eyes. Bardroy was holding Sebastian's phone in one hand, his own in the other. He grinned around the cigarette dangling from his mouth as he handed the cell phone back to his friend's waiting hand. "Huh?"

"I checked my contacts, to see if it was anyone I knew. Didn't recognize the number right off, I don't really talk to the kid much."

Bardroy handed his own phone to Sebastian as he tucked his phone into the empty cup holder between the front seats, forgotten once more. He could feel his temples throb as his curiosity peaked. Bard had left the screen on his contacts, a single name highlighted on the list: _Ciel Phantomhive._

Sebastian stared at the name for a long moment, memorizing the stresses on the vowels and testing out the strange sequence of letters. "Ciel. . . Phantomhive?" It sounded so strange as it fell from his tongue. Had he heard the name somewhere? No, he didn't think so. The title was completely foreign to him; there was no mental image to match the name on the screen. "Who is he?" He asked.

"He's just a freshman friend of Fin's. I've met him a couple times. Not too friendly, but has a hell of a wit about him for a kid his age."

_Ciel Phantomhive. . ._

Bardroy caught the look on Sebastian's face, even though he was still looking down in deep contemplation. "Fin likes him well enough," he supplied, hoping to deter whatever cruel thought was going through his old friends' mind.

Sebastian was silent, only half-listening to his friend ramble defenses for the younger boy. His headache had dissipated for only but a moment, before returning with an agonizing force.

"The brat obviously isn't listening to a word I've said," he began solemnly. Bardroy was silently regretting having gotten involved as he watched Sebastian smile that tight-lipped smile that meant someone had hell to pay. "Ciel Phantomhive, eh? Sounds like a fun game."

"Sebastian, maybe you should just let this one go. He is only, like, fifteen- or some shit like that. Hey, are you listening?"

"Of course I am."

"No, you're obviously not- what are you texting him? _Sebastian?_"

"Relax. It's not like I'm doing anything illegal."

"I've never found your definition of 'legal' to be accurate, Seb."

More often than not Bardroy found himself grateful to be kept in the young Michaelis heirs' safe zone. Watching the dark haired boy tap out a hasty message to the poor freshman bastard allowed him a second of gratitude for their childhood connection and he idly wondered if he should give Ciel a call himself, to warn him about the impending shit storm. Life was never simple when you associated with Sebastian Michaelis.

"This is going to end horribly for everyone."


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Section: Hallo all! Terribly sorry for being gone- things have been so crazy! Graduation is in a week, I'm working full-time, then college in August! Woo. I've never participated this much in life. I even took part in the senior prank on Thursday. C; Of course it was nice to get some quiet-time to sit and write. I just can't leave this story be! Snippy-the-Sniper gave me a little editing help with this one, so a special thanks to her for this one!**

* * *

Sebastian wanted to make one thing perfectly clear; he was not giving in to Bardroy's whining. Certainly not. The only reason he had pulled into the lot next to the burger joint and cut the engine was simply because he found his own stomach growling and begging for sustenance. Not because Bardroy had sold him his sob-story of missing breakfast and lunch. No amount of pleading or puppy dog eyes could get Sebastian to hand over a crisp twenty from his own pocket to the disgruntled teenager behind the cash register.

"Thanks, man." Bardroy sat opposite of his friend in the ratty old booth, plucking his sandwich and fries from the tray between them. Sebastian watched the other boy wolf down his meal as he calmly chewed his own in a process of mannerisms befitting a normal human being.

There was a winter breeze wafting in through an unseen fault in the window and Sebastian found himself turning to watch the cars whizz pass under the green traffic lights as the clouds, a melted golden colour by the sun's own late-afternoon flare, drifted by overhead. Bardroy took the opportunity to sneak some fries from Sebastian's side of the tray.

There was a muffled buzz from Sebastian's side of the booth. The darker haired boy grimaced and withdrew his phone from his back pocket, tossing it onto the table in front of him before he swiped the lock screen to check his notifications.

Bard looked apprehensive as Sebastian's eyes skimmed over something once, then twice. "Who's it from?"

Without answering Sebastian began tapping away at his screen, eyes never leaving the glowing interface. The blonde haired boy squirmed a little, fearing his friend was going to get himself in some sort of trouble by pursuing this number-mix-up business any further. "Who do you think it was?" Sebastian set his phone down once more from where he had raised it to his face for scrutiny. His expression melted into a smirk around the straw of his soda that made Bard's bad feeling only intensify.

"Don't mess with him, Seb."

"Why do you care?"

Sebastian's question was genuine, his countenance one of childish innocence. Like a small boy being taught for the first time that he was, in fact, inflicting pain on others through his actions- learning empathy for the first time in his life. Sebastian was never unnecessarily cruel, but Bard didn't think the freshman deserved being tortured by an upper class man he didn't even know for a mistake he obviously wasn't even aware he was making.

Another, deeper part of Bardroy's mind reminded him that Ciel Phantomhive could also fuck you up without even lifting a finger.

Bard suddenly snorted at his own thought, turning his eyes away from his best friend's inquisitive stare. He chewed on his straw idly as he mulled his train of thought over. "You two would be perfect together," he finally muttered.

"Pardon?" Sebastian's expression was bland again, his mind obviously interested in other things as he returned to tinkering with his phone.

"Nothing," Bard sighed. Trying to persuade Sebastian away from something he had thrown his heart and evil intentions into was a lost cause. He'd have better luck convincing a brick wall to stop being a brick wall. Besides, his friend wouldn't do anything too crazy, right? He was just going to mind-fuck the kid a bit- no serious damage done, right? He allowed that thought to soothe his guilty conscious as he silently gave up on protecting Ciel Phantomhive from afar. Besides, he had his own demons to fight. He couldn't spend his hours playing guardian angel. Ciel could take care of himself, he had no doubt.

He plucked another fry from the tray, pointing it at Sebastian menacingly before it disappeared in his mouth, "Just don't get fucking arrested, ya hear me? I'm not bailin' your ass out."

"No worries there," Sebastian smiled crookedly. His phone disappeared into his back pocket once more. "That would make far too many people happy."

Bard found himself grinning; Sebastian was Sebastian. He couldn't expect anything else. His dark haired friend suddenly looked thoughtful once more, resting his jaw on his hand as he gazed off at some unseen mapping of his mental eye. "How do you know Ciel again?"

"He's just a friend of Finny's." Bard returned to picking at his food, a little uncomfortable even though Sebastian was looking past him dazedly. "He's in geometry with him, a step above the freshman level. Finny brought him with us a couple times when we hung out after school. Honestly, the kid's so quiet it's scary. Polite as shit, though- and witty on top of it. Complete smart-ass once he warms up to you. I barely know him, but Finny's likes him well enough."

Sebastian set his half-eaten burger back on the plastic blue tray. "Think Fin would mind us stopping by?" There was a mysterious twinkle in his dark eyes, one Bard recognized as the we're-about-to-do-something-off-the-wall look. It was the look he would always associate with the night they egged Claude Faustus' house last year. An apprehensive look settled in his gut, directing him away from Sebastian's growing smirk. "He wasn't even in school today. He's probably sick."

Sebastian pulled a face, feigning concern as only Sebastian Michaelis could, before he slid to his right and rose to his full towering height next to the booth. "Poor thing. We should make a house-visit then. Friends do that kind of thing, right? Check in to make sure they're still alive or breathing or whatever?"

"Yeah, friends- not you."

"You wound me," Sebastian shot back flatly. He picked up his half-eaten burger, wrapping it carefully in it's logo-printed paper, before dumping the rest of the greasy remnants of their meal in the bin a few feet away. An employee was wiping down empty tables on the opposite side of the dining room. He threw them a couple troubled glances before disappearing through the employee door. Sebastian held up his unfinished dinner and eyed it. "Burgers are something you'd give a sick friend, right?"

Bard could feel a headache coming on.

* * *

The digital clock on the oven in the kitchen proclaimed it to only be ten past six, but the only light streaming in the windows from outside came from the waxing moon and the few stars that dared show themselves through the passing clouds.

Sebastian quietly let himself into his own home with his key, slipping through the door like a shadow. The house was silent but peaceful. The dark haired teen found himself relaxing, his shoulders slumping as he dumped his bag on a nearby chair and tapped the snow off of the bottoms of his shoes. His phone had gone off in his pocket on the ride home but he had refrained from checking the device until he was safely in his driveway, not wanting to take the chance of wrestling it out of his pocket with the road conditions. Now he was simply playing a cruel game with himself trying to see how long before he broke and dove for his phone, dying of curiosity.

Night was curled up on Sebastian's favourite chair; a ratty old recliner that creaked when you pulled the lever and smelled of cigarettes and mint. The cigarette smell was obviously a consequence of all the times Sebastian had let Bardroy pass out in his living room for many a weekend. He was never able to really get rid of his best friend's obnoxious scent no matter how many bottles of fabric refresher he threw in his cart at the store. Sebastian stroked the yawning cat on the back of her head as he passed, plopping down on the couch and twiddling his thumbs around themselves in hasty circles.

He knew he should leave the kid alone. It really was just a mistake.

His phone buzzed again from his back pocket and his previous train of thought derailed and crashed over a cliff in a brilliant showcase of flames.

_6:14pm_

_So, let me get this straight; you want me to sleuth around and figure out who you are? What makes you think I'll play along with this idiotic game, exactly._

Sebastian leaned back against the cushions of the couch and ran a hand through his hair as he read over the text once, then twice, then once more as though the other boy's words might have shifted to some other meaning while he wasn't looking. Why should he play along? After all, this was just Sebastian trying to get a good laugh out of the kid. He wiggled his converse-clad shoe as he genuinely considered the question.

_'Because you're haughty and manipulative and proud and it would quietly eat away at you if you never found out who had the audacity to call you such things.'_

Satisfied with his answer, he tossed the phone gently onto the cushion next to him and decided to browse Netflix for the evening. Night settled herself next to his leg and purred; Sebastian was practically doing the same thing. When his cell phone vibrated and flashed with a new text message he avidly ignored the green icon with a rather conceited posture. If all the snatches of information he had pumped out of Finnian about the freshman earlier was true, the game had already begun, and the score was currently in his favour.

* * *

Ciel Phantomhive was not being rude. He was a lot of things, but not rude. The older boy clearly deserved the punishment. Ciel told him, fucking _told_ him, not to use his mother's laundry baskets to slide down the stairs. After it was all said and done Ciel ended up with a busted plastic clothes basket, a pair of roller skates with only _one _wheel left and Alois won a boot out into the cold to sulk his way across the road to his own house. Alois brought Ciel's wrath upon himself. It wasn't Ciel's fault, and he felt no guilt, which wasn't new. So, with this prideful mindset, Ciel sat himself at the polished kitchen table and indulged himself by spooning out mountains of fudge for his evening snack.

Rachel poked her head into the room, gazing about once before giving her son an odd look. She could have sworn just a moment ago the blonde boy from across the road had been sitting in the kitchen with him, attempting to help with the science project in the only way he could- providing entertainment and awkward creativity. The boy was suddenly nowhere to be seen, the project materials were piled in the corner, and her son was surprisingly calm. She could only imagine what Alois had done this time around. "Ciel, dear.. where is Alois?"

"Kicked him out," he answered plainly. He retrieved another spoonful without looking up at his mother. An expression of pure confusion passed her features as she stepped fully into the room, wrestling her long golden hair into a tie. "And why on earth would you do that?"

"He was being an asshat," Ciel muttered around the spoon in his mouth, quickly turning away from his mother's curious stare. "Language, young man," Rachel reminded. She studied him for one moment longer before deciding it was best to the leave the two to their quarrels. Ciel would be mad at the Trancy boy for so many things, yet he'd let him in the house tomorrow after school. They had an awkward friendship at best.

"So what did he do this time?" She asked after a moment of silence. She could still hear him studiously digging around in the glass container behind her, but the sound ceased as she posed her question. Ciel glanced around the house, gaze settling in the direction of the living room for a spare second longer than anywhere else, before returning to his chocolaty task at hand. "Believe me, mother, you don't want to know."

His father strode in just then from the foyer, hat in hand and fresh in his work clothes. He floundered to find his words for a moment as his dark eyes glanced quickly from Ciel to his fair wife then back to his miniature-self seated alone at the table in the centre of the room. "... Why is Alois hanging from the drain-pipe outside?"

Ciel threw his spoon down in exasperation as Rachel did her best to hide her amusement. "Dammit, I told him to go home!" The young boy jumped up from his seat and flew from the room, stopping just long enough in the foyer to don his jacket and slip on his boots. The evening was starting to wear on, the temperature steadily dropping as it was prone to do in these months. Ciel noticed the white of his breath dancing in intricate shapes on the crisp air before he noticed the blonde clinging to the drain pipe on the side of his house for dear life.

"What the hell are you doing, Trancy?"

The blonde appeared to have wrapped himself around the metal, clinging to the side of the white-wash house as he shimmied to and fro. He threw his head back just long enough to sing, "_BABY COME BACK, YOU CAN BLAME IT ALL ON ME_," before ducking his head once more as he appeared to war with himself over whether to take his chance and slide down or continue up to the Phantomhive's second story.

"Get down! You're lucky my parents have a sense of humor."

"Here's the problem," Alois called down matter-of-factly, "I don't think I can just, ya know, _get down_..."

"Are you telling me your fat ass is stuck?"

"HEY-"

Alois was about to give him his tirade about how he doesn't need to conform to society's standards of beauty because he was a strong, independent black woman who don't need no man, but the dark haired boy disappeared stomping around the side of the house before he could get the words out. He came back a few drawn out moments later empty handed and looking all the more disgruntled. Alois couldn't feel his right arm anymore, and he wasn't quite sure his nose was still in existence at this point.

"Well, I have no clue what my father's done with the ladder," Ciel admitted reluctantly.

"This is how I die."

"Maybe. Your other option is to just slide and jump."

"Like... jump into your arms?" Alois asked, his blue eyes glancing down at this friend. Ciel rolled his own, barely suppressing a sigh. "I don't really care, just get down before I start throwing things at you."

Alois pressed himself closer to the object he had twined himself around for a split second before letting go and pushing off with the soles of his boots. He flailed in mid-air for a second and thought he faintly heard Ciel make a noise crossed between a gasp and a '_the fuck_' before he himself shrieked with the sensation of falling, eyes skyward. He felt the chilling air rush past him as his voice reached octaves he hadn't realized he could still reach before he collided with something soft and warm. That soft and warm mass went down with him, then profusely started swearing.

Ciel pushed his blonde neighbor off of him, a rolling blur of golds and burgundy's and purples, then stood and shook himself of snow. "Did I ever once say jump _on me?_" Ciel demanded, looking at his friend as though after all this time together he still couldn't fathom the things he did. "What were you even planning on doing up there?"

Alois decided he'd tell himself Ciel's question was one of concern. "Well, my plan was to climb my way up to your roof, shuffle over to your window- then you'd let me in after I tapped on the glass a couple times so I could slip in and serenade you with 'America's Suitehearts' by Fall Out Boy. Then you'd forgive me and confess your undying love. Duh."

Ciel simply stared at him for a long moment, mouth falling open and snapping shut as though he had things to say to him but thought better of it in the end. "Do me a favour. Go home."

The younger boy retreated into his house, leaving the blonde shaking himself dry in his yard. Once inside, he leaned back against the door, rubbing at his eyes tiredly. He made sure to lock the door behind him. This was an everyday kind of thing, and though Ciel had been living by Alois Trancy for forever and a day, he had not grown used to the older boy's antics by any means.

He could hear his parents making light conversation in the kitchen adjacent to the foyer, his mother's tinkling laugh floating over the sounds of pots and dishes in the sink. His father was speaking lowly but quickly, and whenever he paused Rachel's tinkling laughter would rise again and make him smile. He decided he would leave his parents to their time, kicking off his boots and heading for the stairs. He plucked his phone off the foyer table as he passed then made a beeline for his room.

He flopped down at his bed as he stared at the dark screen of his cell phone. His cheeks flared with embarrassment. He had honestly believed it to be Alois he had been texting, but the blonde himself had shot his notions down as he brought the topic up over their project earlier.

"I tried to tell you," Alois had huffed at him. "I dropped my phone in the toilet last month and had to get a new one. I got a new number."

"New number," Ciel muttered to himself thoughtfully. He pointedly ignored Alois' explanation for his previous phone's death. The realization that he had been texting some random stranger finally dawned on him and suddenly all the increasingly angry replies from the other side of the electronic connection made sense. His first act of business was to politely apologize and cease all communication. Except, that was not exactly how it had worked out.

He knew his name.

That was the bit that had scared him. The stranger on the other end of the phone had called him by his full name and even had the balls to add a smiley face. His mother had always told him not to talk to strangers, but that had never exactly been a problem. Ciel had been shy by nature and eventually his personality transitioned to scathing and reclusive as he hit his teenage years. This unknown figure calling him by his name had struck a bad cord with him, and he found himself shaking slightly, though he would deny it before anything. He told himself to leave it be, ignore it and move on. Pursuing this would only lead to bad things. The knot in his gut told him so. But his curiosity got the better of him and he soon found himself texting back, inquiring as to how he knew of his name.

_'It would seem we have companions in common, Ciel.'_

The faceless man would not give away his secrets, insisting that they make a game of it instead. _'Figure it out. Impress me with your wit, Mr. Phantomhive. Dazzle me with your knowledge. xD'_

He was goading him into a game he himself was designing. Why the hell would he follow his rules?

The reply was swift and shook his core; _'Because you're haughty and manipulative and proud and it would quietly eat away at you if you never found out who had the audacity to call you such things.'_

Ciel stared at his phone for a long moment before he noticed his hand shaking slightly, then quickly set the phone down on his bed. He buried his face in the soft fabric of his pillows and wished to all magical beings he had ever seen in movies and anime that he could take the past twenty-four hours back. But he knew he couldn't. He had made his figurative bed and now he had to lie in it. He would step up to his tormentor and laugh in his face when he beat him at his own little game, he'd _dazzle him with his wits_, as had been requested of him. He had no idea who he was dealing with; Ciel Phantomhive was a storm, a tempest, an entity to be feared and revered- he wouldn't let this one man knock him from his pedestal.

Tremors gone, he took up his phone once more, trying to force his body to relax as he felt his jaw subconsciously clench. His blood had run cold- he was frozen to the marrow with feelings of foreboding. He quietly chose to turn a blind eye to the signs his intuition was throwing him.

_'In that case, welcome to Hell.'_

* * *

**Author's section: Hope you all enjoyed! I was going to make it even longer but then Genius-Nisa struck again and I had a brilliant idea, sooo. :'D**

**Author-to-Reader-Question: Any 'Mortal Instrument' fans out there? I'm steadily becoming obsessed! D;**

**See you next time, loves! Reviews are much appreciated, as always. Less-than-three!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's corner: Oh god, it is definitely sneezy-season.**

**Warnings & fact-check: swearing, ultra-gayness, teen angst etc. You get the gist. And for those of you who have not read the manga, Redmond, Cheslock, and McMillan are all characters only appearing in Toboso's manga of Kuroshitsuji. I definitely recommend reading it. There will be many more manga-only character appearances. I will point them out as we go.**

**What are you waiting for? Allons-y!**

* * *

Bardroy watched Sebastian back out of his driveway, waving weakly as his friend gunned it around the corner towards Arch Street once he hit the road. The blonde stepped gingerly along the ice and snow that covered the walkway to his front door. The porch light did little to illuminate his way as he fought to unlock the front entrance.

He entered the house, stumbling, and tossed his book bag somewhere in the dark of the kitchen. He was tired, drained- he felt like collapsing in a heap and never moving again. Usually he was hit with this bout of exhausted depression by Thursday after his late shift at the hardware store but the wave came earlier than usual. He wasn't sure he could make it the rest of the week. At least Sebastian had promised to cart him to school until his car was out of the shop which saved him the hassle of walking across town at 6:30am.

The past hour was plaguing him, tearing him down. It all replayed in his head, his heart constricting oddly each time he thought about it.

Sebastian had decided he wanted to find out more about Ciel Phantomhive, and believe it or not, Finnian was his first fountain of knowledge for this case. Bard had been avoiding the younger blonde lately, and he knew it. Sebastian knew it too, or at least he appeared to suspect something, but he didn't think Michaelis knew the extent of why. It baffled him, the way his heart pounded when he saw Finny and how he felt like he was drowning. They had known each other almost all their lives, so what had changed?

Suddenly he found himself staring at how green the sophomore's eyes were from across the lunch table. Finny had always been one for hugs and physical displays of affection, but now Bardroy's stomach dropped and his face warmed when the small blonde threw his arms around him. He got dizzy when Finnian smiled at him.

Today his stomach had dropped in a new way, one he was sure he didn't like.

Finnian had left the front door unlocked. Sebastian swung it open, smiling as he was wont to do when he was about to ask a favour. Finnian was laying on the red living room couch the three of them had shared so many weekends of gaming and junk-food-consuming on. He was swathed in a blanket patterned with small yellow ducks wearing bowties, resting his head on a stack of pillows against the arm rest. His face was red, but Bard wasn't sure if it was from whatever illness his friend had contracted or from the hearty laugh he was sharing with the redhead seated next to him.

Maylene looked over her shoulder, grinning still. "Hey you two!" She greeted cheerily. Bard didn't answer- couldn't answer- as he took in their smiles and close proximity. He felt Sebastian glance over, take in his stiff posture, before answering with a cordial greeting of his own.

Finnian struggled to place himself upright. Maylene propped him up and Bard found himself getting red in the face, veins thrumming with what he recognized to be unadulterated anger, as he eyed the hand the girl placed on Finny's arm to assist him.

The younger blonde seemed ecstatic to see them, greeting both loudly as he was prone to do. His eyes were bright and shining and endearingly innocent.

Bardroy hung back away from the other three during the whole of the visit, occasionally stepping onto the porch alone for a smoke. He had hoped the nicotine would calm his frayed nerves but the cigarettes just didn't seem to be doing their job anymore.

Sebastian explained about Ciel, asking if Finnian would aid him in his little game. He looked unsure, glancing between Maylene next to him and Bardroy attempting to appear relaxed against a wall painted a similar shade of the youngest inhabitants iris', away from the others. Once Sebastian promised he would do no real harm, Finnian conceded.

Ciel Phantomhive was fifteen years old. Finnian first met him at freshman orientation; Finny was helping hand out schedules and give tours around the school and when they realized they had the same math they decided to stick together. His birthday was this month. He lived with both parents, but was an only child. He was rather closed and quiet; he didn't have many friends, definitely from lack of want. He read a lot. He was allergic to cats- Bard saw Sebastian's expression shift ever so slightly at this- and much preferred dogs. Finnian even took the time to explain when he had visited the Phantomhive home, how uncanny a resemblance he held to his father.

Bard watched Finnian talk in that rapid-fire way of his, words spilling from his mouth like water from a faucet. He had always loved to listen to Finny talk; the young blonde threw his heart and soul into everything he did, even a story. His chest still felt tight and he began to rummage through his pockets for another cigarette to keep himself busy.

"What does he look like?" Sebastian asked. His expression was intense, enough to make Finnian stop for a second and regard him oddly. Maylene didn't miss a beat- she had only transferred to their school a few years back but was used to Sebastian's overbearing nature. She stood, stepping into Finnian's room off the right of the back hall for a few seconds. She returned with a small photo in her hand and set it into Sebastian's waiting palm.

It was obviously a few months old, Finnian's hairstyle a bit shaggier in the captured frame. There was a small puncture at the top of the photo from where it had been tacked somewhere. Bard found himself studying the copy over Sebastian's shoulder. The only ones in the photo were Finnian and Ciel. They appeared to be outside, a backdrop of trees and flowering plants behind their smiling faces. The blonde was grinning broadly, arm angled as he was obviously taking the photo himself, other arm draped over Ciel's slight shoulders. The younger boy was smiling slightly, lips turned up gently at the corners. He was paler than Finnian, almost a sickly pallid tone. His hair was dark, shining a brilliant hue similar to moonstone. His were wide and bright; an innocent shade of cerulean. The angles of his face were soft with youth, but there was a dark edge to them, hidden beneath a surface no one could seem to identify.

Sebastian stared for a moment before handing the memory back to Maylene to put away. He was smiling, but he seemed off. It was the tight-lipped grin of someone deep in their thoughts. Bard didn't take much notice, so busy was he trying to pretend he didn't see Maylene lay her hand on Finnian's arm- telling him to lay down and finish his medicine.

Once Bard reached his room at the back of the house, he threw himself onto the unmade covers of his bed and groaned. The digital alarm clock across the room on his desk glowed through the heavy darkness of the evening, reminding him of the early hour despite how his body declared it was too late to stay awake. He hid his face in his pillows, feeling an unfamiliar urge from his childhood rise in his throat- he wanted to cry.

"What's wrong with me."

He almost laughed as he spoke the words aloud. Despite the pretenses his blue-collar life might bring he was not daft; he knew exactly what was going on. The realization itself wasn't terrifying- it was the admittance. He couldn't bring himself to admit what he already knew, even in the quiet of his own mind, as he drifted asleep with his heart pounding in defiance.

* * *

"I think Bard's been avoiding me."

Finnian sat up, hugging his duck-patterned blanket to him tighter against the draft. Maylene was finishing dishes in the kitchen. He could hear the clanging as she set them to dry before entering the living room. Her expression was curious behind her thick lenses. "What makes you think so?"

"Because," Finnian began hesitantly, "The past few weeks he wouldn't sit with us at lunch. Every time I asked him to hang out after school he'd say no. He won't even hardly look at me anymore." The blonde glanced up from under his lashes and Maylene realized with a start that the younger boy's eyes were shining more than their usual glimmer. He was crying. "What did I do... ?" He finished quietly.

Maylene sat down next to him, trying to pick her words carefully. She had an idea of the circumstances, and she could tell Sebastian did too, but how to explain such a predicament to someone as innocent as Finnian? She hadn't missed the way Bardroy had glared down at her every time she so much as stood near Finny but she highly doubted the young blonde had noticed his older friend's reaction himself.

"I don't think it's anything you did, Finny. Sometimes things change and we just don't realize it right away. I'm sure Bard will come around. I think he's just having a tough time of things right now."

Finnian appeared unsure but nodded anyway. He seemed to run out of things to say and slumped back against his pillows, suddenly looking gaunt under the shoddy ceiling light. "I just want my friend back, ya know?"

Maylene felt her heart break for the sweet boy before her. He reminded her a lot of her younger brother back home. She felt a protective need for the boy, a draw from deep in her core to shield him from the world and keep him close. He was too naive but she didn't know how to help other than gently guide him. "Give him time, love." She patted the top of his head softly, murmuring a goodnight before she gathered her things to go. Finnian was smiling once again as he bid his friend his own farewells. "Thanks for looking after me, May."

"Of course."

* * *

Ciel set his tray down on the cafeteria table at his usual spot, and with a completely stoic expression asked, "Who do I have as friends?"

Alois, mouthful of fries, almost choked at the unexpected question. Soma looked as though he was about to assist him but the blonde righted himself before the Indian prince could move. "Well, I never really took you as the type to have friends, Celly."

"I'm being serious."

McMillan looked taken aback as well. Ciel's expression didn't change, looking about the small group expectantly. He took in McMillan's gentle features, Alois' mischievous grin and Soma's genuine look of concern and determination as he rattled off a list of people he commonly saw Ciel with, trying to imagine one of them selling him out to a stranger with a sick sense of humor.

Or, rather, not a stranger. That was the whole point, wasn't it? This man- well fuck, he didn't even know if it was a guy for sure- was a familiar in their daily roles, or at least perhaps a member of the faceless crowd he waded through day in and day out. Or perhaps he was a member of another world entirely, his existence crossing into Ciel's ever so slightly through some unseen threshold.

A junior boy- the name Cheslock jumped to Ciel's mind at the sight excessive eyeliner and hair gel- was laughing up a riot two tables over. The entire table was gloomy dark tones and eccentric hairstyles. Cheslock's best friend Gregory looked thoroughly annoyed with them all, making to leave. Cheslock suddenly tipped back in his chair, balancing precariously on the back two legs of the standard-issue cafeteria chair beneath him, and squared his view at Ciel. Without so much as flinching Ciel met his gaze and watched in chagrin as a sly smile spread across the older boy's face from across the way. He only turned away when he heard Alois chattering in his ear.

Just what was that about?

"What?" Snapping back to earth Ciel realized Alois had chair-hopped and was now seated next to him, picking food off of his plate. "I asked why you asked, Celly. C'mon. Get with it." McMillan leaned forward on his elbows. His voice was soft, as though he was talking to a terrified child. "You seem rather disgruntled today, Ciel. Is everything okay?"

Taking a deep breath, Ciel decided to handle this delicately. "I think I'm being stalked." McMillan's eyes got very wide, similar to what you'd imagine of a young boy seeing an X-rated movie for the first time on accident while channel flipping on a Sunday afternoon. Alois looked bored. "Who'd want to stalk you?"

Reluctantly Ciel pulled his phone out of his jacket pocket and showed them a few of the last messages he had received from the strange number the night before. He purposefully left out the other person admitting it was through a mutual acquaintance that he delved further into the mishap.

"We have to protect Ciel!" Soma was suddenly all in arms with plastic sporks and over-baked beans but Alois was stunningly calm. He was swinging his feet, heel knocking into the underside of the bench. In reality it was Alois' reaction Ciel was looking for the most. When confronted with a stalker or a rude call or a random stray cat appearing in his bedroom, Alois was the automatic blame.

"And you think it's someone you know?"

"I don't know."

"Well, shit Cel," the blonde took to inspecting the plastic fork left on his tray. Two of the prongs were ripped off. "What do you know?"

The chatter around them in the cafeteria suddenly seemed to grow louder, a rippling wave of energy sweeping over him and making him dizzy. The senior class student council was three tables to their left- Redmond and his lackeys- and Ciel caught the quiet freshman from his World History class giving him a shy smile from over Redmond's shoulder. Cheslock was gone from his table. He could just barely spot Finnian and his redheaded friend Maylene across the cafeteria. Some upper classmen passed the cafeteria, laughing loudly amongst themselves.

When he didn't answer quick enough, McMillan jumped in to save him from the other's scrutinizing stares. "If this guy's giving you a hard time, we should try to find out who he is."

Ciel brushed his dark fringe away from his eyes, giving the group his most endearing and plastic smile. His mother always said he resembled a china doll when he smiled; sweet and innocent. "You'd really do that for me?"

Alois wasn't impressed. He had enough ways of manipulation up his own sleeve to recognize when someone was trying to pull one over him. "If you're going to run me 'round as a detective, you're gonna have to pay a mighty high price."

Ah, Ciel had thought something was off today. That migraine he usually had in Alois' presence hadn't made itself known yet.

... ah, yes, there it was.

* * *

**Author's corner: Short, I know, but I'm really gonna be fighting with time here guys. I will do as much as I can, promise! Reviews are much appreciated and definitely help move me along. Stay wicked, guys. c:**

**Reader-to-Author-Chapter-Question: What's your best summer memory?**


	4. Chapter 4

**This chapter gave me so much trouble- not because it was difficult to write, no- although it's mostly filler and set up for upcoming events. But because I got about two thousand words in, saved, then wrote another two thousand and when I went to save was informed that somewhere in the middle of me writing all that the FF server logged me out and it saved NONE OF IT. I'm so frustrated. I'm going to bed and not waking up for, like, two days. Then I'm going drinking with my best friend and fiance Friday and I'm going to enjoy myself, dammit!**

**Cheslock and Greenhill are both characters only appearing in the manga.**

**Chapter warnings; cute manly love, swearing, boring filler-ness.**

* * *

Sebastian's last class of the day was eighth period American History, required of all third year Juniors much to their collective dismay. He had always held a love of history, honestly, but he found this particular course dry and poorly comprised of lack-luster information as opposed to the brilliant European History class he had taken for his Social Sciences credit the year before. The A.H. instructor was older than the tattered text books under their desks and often gave obscure questions on the quizzes over information from seemingly random chapters that they had yet to even cover. In short, Mrs. Williamson's history lecture was the bane of the Junior class and the academically nutty underclassmen who took it trying to graduate with Honors early.

His classmates were not exactly his favourite, either. Claude Faustus sat two rows over and was just generally sickening. Sebastian always gave a silent prayer that he would never be stuck in a group project with him, or that Claude would answer a question wrong or fail a test or trip walking to his desk and bust his head open- or even all three at once. That'd be fantastic. Maylene was also in the class, and though he did not by any means dislike her, he was quietly grateful that she was seated on the opposite side of the room. She had a habit of dropping anything she touched and tripping over her classmates feet. And don't even get him started on Grell Sutcliff- the guy was insufferable. And said guy was currently making "the eyes" at him and wiggling his fingers in a come-hither wave from the back of the room. Sebastian put most of his energy into not having to look in Grell's direction throughout the duration of the class and the rest of his energy was put into booking it out of the room when the bell rang and disappearing into the crowd of students before the red-headed boy could corner him.

He did, however, enjoy the company of his closest neighbor and usual partner-in-crime for group work and presentations, Cheslock Violette. Cheslock appeared too old to be a Junior but Sebastian felt it rude to up and ask someone if they failed a grade or two no matter how earnest his curiosity was. His presence made others a little uncomfortable, what with his Mohawk and eye liner and the puckered scar running down his left eye and his exuberant- and sometimes _delinquent-_ behavior but Sebastian genuinely enjoyed his company and the sarcasm he provided. Sebastian would agree with his classmates that Violette was a little rough around the edges but he was also snarky and well-rounded in his intelligence and a far more desirable companion than most of the people he knew.

Mrs. Williamson moved away from the board, allowing the class to copy the notes she had just listed in bullet-point on the dry erase board at the front of the room. Sebastian leaned across the isle towards Cheslock's desk as subtly as he could manage. "Can you read the second one? Her hand writing is complete rubbish," he whispered to the other boy. Cheslock shot him a toothy grin.

"Please, Michaelis- you have perfect vision. You're just trying to tactfully retrieve information from me- and good on you for that, mate- but yes, I got some info for you."

Sebastian found himself smiling as well. He really did like Cheslock. "And what did you find out, O' Great One?"

"Well, I saw him a couple of different times today; looks like he has Morris for fourth period- saw him with your buddy Finn. Skipped gym. Something about asthma. At lunch he sat with McMillan and a couple kids I don't really know. One of them was that obnoxious Indian transfer from our year. The other was a blonde boy, really short. I didn't get a name but he's definitely an asshole and a half. If he doesn't end up at least committing arson before he's legal I'll sell my left nut on eBay."

The darker haired boy mulled this over for a moment, trying to picture the blue eyed student from Finnian's photograph sitting at a lunch table feasting on mediocre cafeteria food and talking about school work and telling jokes. For some reason the image didn't quite fit. "Anything else?"

"Yeah, looked like he was going to the orchestra room after lunch."

"Orchestra?"

"He was headin' down the music hall last I saw of him," Cheslock elaborated, eyes focused on his notebook as he spoke. Sebastian idly noticed that the other boy was doodling obscene images in the margins rather than actually taking down the notes. "The only things down there are the band room, the orchestra room, and that hell-hole they use for Music Theory and Piano Techniques. He had what I thought was a violin case with him- I'd know, considering I play the strings myself- but I couldn't really tell from where I was. Wasn't tryin' to get up-close-and-personal, ya know."

"Violette! Michaelis! Eyes front- I'll have none of that today." Mrs. Williamson smacked the teacher-edition text on her desk to get their attention, then eyed them ruefully. Once both boys were silently glowering at her she waved her hand at the board in a type of hacked showcase display and proceeded to explain the upcoming test over the information.

Sebastian closed his book and reclined back in his chair like a contented feline basking in the sun. He didn't care much for studying.

Beneath his desk in the denim holdings of his pocket Sebastian felt his cell phone go off twice with the arrival of a new text message. Cheslock and the blonde girl in front of him looked over with a smirk at the nearly muted 'buzz' that could just barely be heard in the silence of the room as Mrs. Williamson added two more Main Ideas to her graph of information on the board. Technology wasn't particularly welcomed in school but everyone and their mother knew that no one followed the rule of leaving your phone off and in your locker until the final bell. High schoolers weren't exactly the sliest agents the world had ever seen, but they tried. Sebastian deftly slid his phone out of his pocket and held it against his side as he had done so many times before, flicking through to his messages with his thumb while the instructors back was still turned.

_'Alright, since you won't tell me what school you attend, what are your initials?'_

Ciel was definitely getting points for trying, but Sebastian couldn't make this too easy on the boy. This was all sport and after all the kid had agreed to this in the first place. Sebastian was earnestly surprised his number hadn't been blocked yet. In fact, he already had his plan in mind- all he needed was a venue. A loud, crowded, distracting venue that he knew like the back of his hand but would leave Ciel reeling and give Sebastian the upper hand to keep the game rolling. Oh, if he didn't feel like Moriarty from BBC's Sherlock rendition as he planned it all out. The thought gave him excited little chills up and down his arms.

Before he had a chance to text Ronald or Bard about his devious plan-hatching or even reply to Ciel's text with a snark-filled retort his cell phone was plucked from his hand and pulled out of reach. He looked up in surprise, chocolate-and-wine eyes lifting, to find Mrs. Williamson standing over him with his cell phone held in her claws- er, he meant hands- and lips pursed in annoyance. The screen of the phone dimmed, then went black in her grip and Sebastian was silently thankful for the pass code he had added to access the home screen.

"I have been needing a new phone- so kind of you, Sebastian," she hissed through clenched jaw before stalking back to her desk. They were only through the first semester of the year and he knew the woman was already planning his imminent demise- but he couldn't exactly blame her. He felt like reminding her that she was lucky she wasn't stuck with him, Bardroy and Ronald all in one class as was the living hell Mr. Robinson had been put through in their sophomore year Biology; then he saw her unlock the bottom drawer of her desk and chuck his phone inside and his thoughts only looped back between "_are you shitting me, dammit_" and "_fuckin' hell_".

Cheslock slumped down in his seat so Sebastian could hear him mutter, "Nice one, mate." There were a few giggles about the classroom as Mrs. Williamson attempted to bring the group back to order but Sebastian still felt like he was malfunctioning. Williamson was one of the few teachers that were notorious for refusing to return confiscated technology until the administration came down from the office and pried it from her hands themselves by demand of an angry parent.

"Piss off. I just got thoroughly boned."

"By her?" Cheslock gave the tottering brunette in the front of the room a sidelong look and a scoff. "Please. Just steal it back."

Sebastian was trying his damndest to remain serious but he found himself grinning at the sheer nonchalance Cheslock held about the whole thing. Who told their friends to steal back their phone from a teacher with that bored of a face? If anyone was the true Consulting Criminal here, it was definitely Cheslock. "What do you suggest?" Sebastian smiled. The mohawked boy returned the endearment.

"Just follow my lead, and work fast."

* * *

For the past ten minutes of his shift Bardroy had taken to hiding between the employee counter and a couple of boxes of new shipment he was supposed to be organizing since none of the other fucks that were in and out of that place on part-time were going to do it. He was simply staring at the '1 Missed Call, 1 Voicemail' notification displayed on the home screen of his cell phone as though he had been frozen- and fuck if he didn't feel like he was. He was cold all over and was even shaking under the wool sweater he wore beneath his bright red work apron but he wasn't sure if it was because it was December and therefore cold as balls with frostbite-inducing weather or if it was his body manifesting the anxiety he was suddenly a victim of at seeing the notification. The missed call was listed under Finnian's contact so by simple logic that meant the voicemail was from Finnian as well, and the thought made Bardroy rather hesitant to play whatever recording had been left.

What could be going on that Finnian would call him about? Usually he would just shoot him a quick text. And besides, he knew Bardroy worked Wednesdays after Hockey practice so he wouldn't be able to answer a call anyway- not with Greenhill von GetTheFuckBackToWork floating around. Maybe it was an emergency and he was in some kind of trouble. But that was stupid, Bard argued with himself. If Fin was in trouble he wouldn't have just cried his dilemma on his voicemail and left it at that. Despite his curiosity to find out what was going on, some unnamed fear was holding him back from just going ahead and listening to the damn thing. Both his legs and his stomach felt wobbly and his fingers were clumsy as he warily went to punch in his vm's access code in his fit of near hysteria.

Bard's well-meaning college-boy coworker chose then to lean over the employee line and tap on Bardroy's shoulder to attract his attention. The young blonde jumped in surprise at the contact, heart pounding, and smashed his head into the underside of the counter and fell to the ground swearing. A few unopened boxes toppled in the process as well and Bard thought he heard someone a few isles towards the back of the store shout. Bard's co-worker, Fred, rushed into the back section and knelt next the high schooler, profusely apologizing for startling him.

"It's okay, really- no harm done, mate. That counter is fuckin' hard, though." Bard ground out. He quickly noticed that his phone had been dropped and began scuffing around on his hands and knees under the counters and searching under boxes, blindly patting around the tiles trying to locate it. Fred noticed Bard's sudden unspoken urgency and stepped back out of the way.

"I'm really sorry, I didn't mean to startle you," Fred tried again. His young face was splotched pink with embarrassment, and when Bard didn't answer right away, Fred began fighting to tidy up the displays for something to busy himself with. Bardroy emerged from under the counter a moment later with his phone in his hand, rising to his full height as he inspected it for any damage. The dark haired boy finally saw Bard's face for the first time that evening when the blonde turned to face him, and Fred immediately gasped at the sight of the dark purple bruise ringing the younger boy's left eye, making the blue of the iris stand out more than usual.

"Oh god, man- what the hell happened to you?"

Bard threw up a hand to hopefully calm the other boy, expression bored, "This is from hockey practice. I got into a scrap with a mouthy little fuck. Well, he wasn't really little- but still."

Fred didn't seem to know what to say. He fumbled his words. "Have- have you put anything on it?"

"Other than the rink when the dick tackled me? No. Had to come straight here after practice."

Fred Aberline's unsure smile brightened and he quickly removed the bright red apron that declared him an employee of Windsor's Hardware Outlet and stuffed it behind a box of new bolt shipments. "Wait here, yeah? Be right back! And if Greenhill asks, I'm taking my fifteen!" Bard watched the young man exit the employee section and head out the front doors, turning left once he hit the pavement and disappearing from the view of the glass that made up the front entrance. Fred had a good heart and Bard was sure the kid would do great in the law enforcement he was planning to join- since the day he started all Bard had heard from Aberline was "Just watch! I'll be the greatest Scotland Yard officer you lot have ever seen. You ever watch SVU? That'll be me!" And for all the sarcastic remarks he made when Fred went on one of his tangents, deep down Bard didn't doubt him.

Feeling uncomfortable in the sudden silence of the shop Bardroy gave one hesitant look around to check for his boss- where the hell _was_ Greenhill?- then unlocked his phone for what felt like the millionth time since he started his shift. Despite the anxiety that had settled in his stomach and the shaking of his hands he punched in his security code to access his voicemail and brought the device to his ear. It was Finnian's sunny voice on the other end of the recording, background crackling as though he was out taking a stroll.

_'Hey, Bard! Sorry I know you're probably already at work but I know you're off tomorrow so I was wondering if maybe you'd like to go to the movies tomorrow after hockey practice?' _

There was a grumble from further away and Finny broke off for a second, pulling away and listening to someone else's drawling tone in the distance, then laughed brightly.

_'No, Ciel. We can go see the horror flick- I know you hate romantic comedies. But, anyway, Bard- we're going tomorrow around seven-ish. I'd love it if you joined. I know I could have just called you tomorrow or caught you before Chemistry, but, well... I really miss you, Bard. Give me a call back when you're off work. Bye!'_

There was a loud scuffing sound as Finnian pulled the phone away from his ear and ended the call almost an hour prior. Once his voicemail kicked off Bard was left standing there alone in the middle of the store staring at his phone until Aberline reappeared brandishing a frozen bag of peas from the grocery down the strip. As Fred rushed about to attend to some customers Bard hung back in the stock room and held the frozen bag to his eye and debated if it was possible to die of a broken heart.

* * *

Everything was just an absolutely sickening color of grey; it was almost as if all the tones and hues and shades of the town had been leached away, leaving nothing but black and white and all the gradients of colorless wonder of the two. The pavement, the sky, the store windows- everything. It was painful to look at. Ciel had a soft spot for snow on Christmas and his birthday, but today he found a small part of him yearning for the warm vibrancy of autumn.

Finnian exited the small coffee shop and took a seat at the outside table Ciel had plunked himself at. The tables and the chairs were both made of curling black iron and polished glass, like something you would see in a home improvement magazine. The blonde set two steaming cups of hot chocolate between them and pulled the closest to his side of the table. "You've been quiet today. More than usual. Is everything okay?"

Ciel took a delicate sip of his own drink, letting the warmth from the hot chocolate warm him from his pharynx to his aching stomach, and raised one eyebrow in an 'uh-_huh_' kind of arch that made Finnian squirm under the younger boy's stare. "I could ask you the same thing."

"But you didn't! So now you have to answer."

Ciel had already weighed the pros and cons of divulging the story of his 'Kind-Of-Stalker' to Finnian, but he didn't particularly feel that to be fair to the golden haired boy. Ciel Phantomhive wasn't an idiot, for Christ's sake. He could easily see the budding- and quickly wilting- romance between Finnian and Bardroy, and honestly the whole puppy love thing was annoying and sickening despite the fact that it was two of his closest friends. He wished they would just get over it already. Ciel was dangerously close to locking the two in a small room and leaving them there till they finally sorted everything and stopped avoiding each other. Though, he did suppose he already sort of took that step- but personally he didn't count behind-the-scenes-string-pulling to be particularly of the meddling nature. All he knew at this point was that if Bard didn't show up to the movies tomorrow afternoon like he had planned Ciel _was_ going to lock them in some enclosed space and throw away the key.

"Yes, well, I've just made a rather- er- eccentric new friend." Ciel took another nervous drink and began to worry the plastic rim of the cup with his teeth. If anyone would be understanding of his predicament it would be Finny, but he knew that this would be quite the stretch even for a sweetie like Finnian.

"Aw, you made a new friend? That's great!" Somehow only Finnian could coo like that and make it not sound condescending. "What's his name?"

_Shit_.

"Uh," Another quick sip for stolen time, "I don't know."

A look of confusion began to overtake Finny's expression, his sunny blonde eyebrows drawing together as he searched Ciel's face for some indication of deeper meaning. After a moment's hesitation he forced a smile that didn't reach his emerald eyes, "Oh- um, okay. So, how'd you two meet? Does he go to our school?"

Each question added another stone to the weight in Ciel's stomach and he was acutely aware that his expression was a rather rude grimace, as though the words physically ailed him. Finnian looked rather expectant. He could always make something up to avoid this conversation, something simple- say it was someone he met in passing in the lunch line or when he stole away in the practice rooms during study hall with his violin. One look into Finnian's genuinely interested countenance he knew he couldn't lie to the boy- but perhaps he didn't need to.

"It's complicated," Ciel felt his face heat and couldn't exactly figure why but resolved to blame it on the liquid now flowing through his veins and warming him despite the December wind-chill. He lifted the cup to his face again, hoping it hid his flaming cheek bones from Finny's view, or that he could at least pass the blush off as a mild case of frostbite. Finnian was surprisingly calm at the lack of information the young Phantomhive had given. He was smiling broadly at him as opposed to the prodding Ciel had been expecting. Ciel would even dare to edge out on a limb and say he was _grinning_ at him from across the table. It was the kind of smile that held secrets but made you believe you had imagined the slight of hand you had caught when no one else was looking. Ciel made a suspicious mental-star next to Finnian's name.

"Ah, I'll leave you to it, then," Finnian winked good-naturedly.

Thankful Ciel's phone saved him from having to continue the painful conversation and the dark haired boy thanked every entity he think of and Benedict Cumberbatch for the distraction. A pixelized version of Mozart's Symphony Number 35 played as he fought to fish the device out of his coat pocket with clumsy, gloved fingers. He glanced at the caller's ID and rolled his eyes once before swiping his finger across the screen in reluctant approval of the call and raised the phone to his ear. "Yes? What do you want now?"

"Where are you?" Alois' voice was crisp and clear, obviously somewhere indoors with a rock tune Ciel couldn't identify playing in the near distance behind the overlay of his voice through the call. Ciel duly noted that Alois sounded more irritated than playful at the moment. The dark haired boy slid a sidelong glance at Finnian and his curiously raised eyebrows.

"I'm out. Believe it or not my life does not revolve around you, Trancy."

"Aren't you forgetting something, All Mighty Dickhole?"

"Umm," Nothing jumped to the front of Ciel's mind at the other's boy's question, and he found himself looking towards his fair haired companion as though he held the answers. Finny stared back at him quizzically before draining the last of his hot chocolate and deciding the cup made a fashionable hat. "No?"

"We have a project due next monday, Cel."

"Ah- well, shit. I'm kinda busy."

"Well, shit- how about tomorrow after school?"

"I have plans tomorrow too. Friday?"

"Claude has a hockey game and I can't miss it. If I'm not there to root for him he'd just be devastated."

"Oh please, that doesn't start until nearly six o'clock. Besides, he doesn't even like you. Why are you so on him? It's sickening."

"What, jealous Celly? You know I'd give you all the attention you wanted if you would just admit that you loved me."

"Friday after school for the project, got it. See you then."

Ciel hung up on Alois' proclamation of "don't be like that, baby!" and set his phone on the table with a weary sigh. Finnian, who had now make-shifted the paper cup from a hat to a unicorn horn, smiled at him from across the table. For a moment Ciel almost asked what the hell he was doing, then thought better of it and shut his mouth. "I probably should get going," Ciel announced as he stood from the table and faked a look at the time on his phone display. "Dinner soon. Mum wants me home." As he entered the small shoppe to properly dispose of his empty cup in a bin he felt his phone vibrate once in his hand through the wool of his glove. Thinking it to be Alois, he opened his messages with a heated breath of "what the fuck does he want _now_". He was surprised to find a text from the mystery contact sitting in his inbox, but the context of the reply left the young heir of Phantomhive baffled.

'_You have no idea what I just went through to text you. Seriously, you should be honored.'_

* * *

**Author-to-Reader-Chapter-Question: So, any fans of the show 'The Big Bang Theory' out there?**


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